1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a connector fitting construction in which a half-fitted condition is positively prevented by a resilient force of a resilient member mounted in at least one of a pair of connectors to be fitted and connected together, and the connector, fitted on the mating connector, is positively locked.
2. Related Art
Usually, various electronic equipments are mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and therefore, naturally, various types of female and male connectors are provided at connection ends of various kinds of wires forming wire harnesses or the like.
Various half-fitting prevention connectors, in which a condition of fitting between female and male connectors, can be detected, have been used, and one such example is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication Hei. 5-81967.
This conventional half-fitting prevention connector includes a pin-type connector, having a plurality of juxtaposed pin contacts mounted therein,. and a socket-type connector having a plurality of juxtaposed socket contacts mounted therein. A movable cover is mounted on the outer periphery of the female connector for movement back and forth. Spring receiving portions are provided at opposite side portions of this movable cover, respectively, and compression springs are received respectively in these spring receiving portions, and extend in a forward-rearward direction.
In this half-fitting prevention connector, however, although the half-fitted condition can be prevented by the resilient force of the compression springs, there is encountered a problem that when trying to fit the two connectors together while holding the opposite side surfaces of the movable cover with the hand, the movable cover can not be moved, and therefore the efficiency of the fitting operation is low.
The Applicant of the present application has proposed a connector fitting construction (disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 10-50408) which solves the above problem.
A female connector 21 (one of two connectors of the half-fitting prevention connector), shown in FIG. 6, comprises a housing 23 which includes a connector housing 23a, having a terminal receiving chamber, and an exclusive-use housing (slider housing) 23b formed above the connector housing 23a, the exclusive-use housing 23b forming a slider receiving portion 24 for slidably receiving a slider 30 (described later). Guide grooves 25 for respectively guiding opposite side portions of a body of the slider 30 are formed respectively in opposite side portions of the exclusive-use housing 23a, and a spring receiving portion 23c of a tubular shape is formed at a rear end of each of the guide grooves 25.
A lock arm 26 is formed integrally with the exclusive-use housing 23b at a widthwise central portion thereof, and extends in a fitting direction, the lock arm 26 having an elastic, free end portion. The lock arm 26 has a lock beak 27 formed on an upper surface thereof, and the lock beak 27 has a slanting surface, and a housing lock 28 for retaining engagement with the mating connector is formed on a lower surface of the lock arm at a distal end thereof. Displacement prevention projections 28a for preventing the displacement of the lock arm 26 are formed on the upper surface of the lock arm 26, and face away from the housing lock 28. Side spaces 24a for receiving part of the slider 30 are formed at opposite sides of the lock arm 26, respectively.
The slider 30 includes an elastic slider arm 32 provided at a generally central portion of the slider body 31, and the slider arm 32 has a pair of abutment projections 34 formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower surface thereof at a front end thereof. The slider includes a pressing portion 35, which is formed on an upper surface thereof at a rear end thereof, and is operated when canceling the fitting connection, and a slide groove 33 formed in the slider arm 32 and the pressing portion 35. Spring retaining portions 36 for respectively retaining compression springs 29 are formed respectively at opposite side portions of a lower portion of the slider body 31 at the rear end thereof. A displacement prevention portion 37 for prevention the displacement of the lock arm 26 is formed at the front end of the slider body 31.
As shown in FIG. 7, the male connector (the other connector) 22 includes a housing 41 having a terminal receiving chamber, a pair of stopper projections 42, which are formed on a surface of the housing 41 so as to abut respectively against the abutment projections 34 of the slider 30 during the connector-fitting operation, a slanting projection 43, which is provided between the stopper projections 42, and has a slanting surface for flexing the lock arm 26, and an engagement groove 44 which is formed at a rear side of the slanting projection 43 so as to be engaged with the housing lock 28.
When the slider 30, having the compression springs 29 held respectively on the spring retaining portions 36, is pushed into the slider receiving portion 24 of the female connector 21 from the front side thereof as shown in FIG. 6, the slider body 31 moves along the guide grooves 25 toward the rear end of the female connector. At this time, the abutment projections 34, formed at the lower surface of the slider arm 32, are received respectively in the side spaces 24a formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm 26. Then, the compression springs 29 are received in the spring receiving portions 23c, respectively, and the lock beak 27 is fitted in the slide groove 33, so that the slider 30 is slidably mounted in the female connector.
In this mounted condition, the slider 30 is urged forward by the resilient force of the compression springs 29 as shown in FIG. 7, and the front end of the pressing portion 35 is retainingly held against the lock beak 27 in the slide groove 33, and the displacement prevention projections 28a, formed at the distal end of the lock arm 26, abut against the displacement prevention portion 37 formed on the lower surface of the slider 30 at the front end thereof, thereby preventing the upward displacement of the lock arm 26.
Then, when the operation for fitting the female and male connectors 21 and 22 together is started as shown in FIG. 7, the stopper projections 42 of the male connector 22 are inserted respectively into the side spaces 24a (see FIG. 6), formed respectively at the opposite sides of the lock arm 26 of the female connector 21, and these stopper projections 42 abut against the abutment projections 34 of the slider 30, respectively. From this time on, the resilient force of the compression springs 29 is produced. At this stage, pin contacts 51, mounted in the male connector 22, are not yet fitted respectively in socket contacts 50 mounted in the female connector 21.
Then, when the fitting operation further proceeds, the slider 30 is pushed rearwardly against the bias of the compression springs 29, so that the housing lock 28, formed at the distal end of the lock arm 26, abuts against the slanting projection 43 of the male connector 22. If the pushing operation is stopped in this half-fitted condition, the female and male connectors 21 and 22 are returned or moved away from each other (that is, in a disconnecting direction opposite to the fitting direction) by the resilient force of the compression springs 29, and therefore such half-fitted condition can be easily detected.
Then, when the fitting operation further proceeds as shown in FIG. 8, the slider arm 22 of the slider 30 is flexed (elastically deformed) upwardly by the lock beak 27, so that the abutting engagement of the stopper projections 42 with the abutment projections 34 of the slider 30 is canceled. Then, under the influence of the compression springs 29, the slider arm 32 slides over the stopper projections 42, and also the housing lock 28, formed at the distal end of the lock arm 26, slides over the slanting projection 43, and is engaged in the engagement groove 44.
Then, the slider 30 is returned to its initial position under the influence of the compression springs 29, so that the displacement prevention portion 37 of the slider 30 abuts against the displacement prevention projections 28a of the lock arm 26, as shown in FIG. 9. As a result, the lock arm 26 is locked, and the female and male connectors are held in a completely-fitted condition, and the contacts 50 are completely connected to the contacts 51, respectively.
This completely-fitted condition can be detected through the sense of touch, obtained when the housing lock 28 of the lock arm 26 slides over the slanting projection 43, and also can be easily detected by viewing the position of the returned slider 30.
However, the slider 30 is molded separately from the housing 23 of the female connector 21, and then is mounted in the exclusive-use housing 23b. Therefore, the number of molds for molding the above half-fitting prevention connector increases, and besides considerable time and labor are required for arranging the slider in the assembling direction during the assembling operation, which has resulted in a problem that the production cost is high.